The detective assigned to the case of University of Utah student Lauren McCluskey, who said she was being threatened by an ex-boyfriend weeks before being murdered, is now no longer on the University of Utah's police department, according to new reports.
Nelson refused to say whether the detective was fired or quit voluntarily.
"We don't talk about personnel issues," Nelson said.
McCluskey, the 21-year-old student-athlete who was fatally shot by her ex-boyfriend Melvin Rowland, had pleaded for protection from Rowland weeks before she was shot on Oct. 22, 2018.
A dispatcher then told her to contact the University of Utah police.
McCluskey told the dispatcher, “I’ve talked to them already, but I just wanted to call you as well.” She later added: “I was just concerned because I wasn’t sure how long they were going to take to file the arrest.”
About a week after the call was made on Oct. 19, McCluskey spoke to police again, sounding more worried. “Last Saturday I reported, and then, I haven’t gotten an update,” McCluskey told the dispatcher.
When the dispatcher asked McCluskey if she was in contact with campus police, she expressed frustration with the police, according to Fox13.
“They haven’t updated or done anything. So the case, it involves extortion,” McCluskey said. “I haven’t gotten updates and it’s been a week.”
On Oct. 22, the day McCluskey was murdered, she attempted to contact the detective, but didn't hear back. She then emailed her several screenshots of messages from Rowland attempting to lure her out of her dorm, which the detective didn't open until after McCluskey was dead, reported the Tribune.
McCluskey's parents, Jill and Matthew McCluskey, have repeatedly called for the detective and the other officer who handled the case to be held accountable, stating:
On the day McCluskey went missing and was later murdered, her father also contacted the police.
“My daughter is Lauren McCluskey and she went missing tonight,” McCluskey said in the 911 call, reported Fox13. “She was abducted while we were talking to her on the telephone. So we heard her being assaulted and we called the University of Utah campus police.”
He added, “I’m just calling you to let you know. This just happened, like an hour ago,” reported KUTV. A dispatcher told him that they are aware of the incident.
An independent review of the case also criticized the detective for not checking whether Rowland was on parole, which he was, "when she had evidence that he was a convicted felon and [McCluskey] identified Rowland as a suspect," reported the Tribune.
Additionally, investigators discovered that no officer on the force had ever run such a check and were all unfamiliar with how to do so.
Some of McCluskey's allegations, as well as ones reported by her friends to housing officials but never forwarded to police, all could have led to Rowland's arrest for violations of the terms of his release.
When the Tribune contacted the detective, she said, "I do not have a statement at this time," and would not reveal if she had been terminated.